COMMENTARY

It appears Garrett’s time might be up

— As a longtime Jerry Jones-watcher, I know the “look.”

Know it when I see it, because for those us who have watched Jerry long enough, we’ve seen it enough.

Saw it with Barry Switzer, and with Chan Gailey, and with Dave Campo, and with Big Bill Parcells, and then with Wade Phillips.

In case you’ve quit keeping score, those are the head coaches fired by Jerry over the past 15 years. And with every one of those names, except for Parcells, the departures happened despite great regret from, yes, Jerry.

Jerry had to convince himself that what he had desperately wanted to work wasn’t working, and despite his comfort level with those coaches, in the long run he was going to take a football hit and, uh-huh, a financial hit.

The bad news for Jason Garrett? I saw that Jerry “look” again. It was 10 days ago, postgame on Thanksgiving.

For the first time in the short Red J era, longtime Jerry watchers, including me, quickly reduced Garrett’s job security rating to below 50 percent, and I’m not sure it shouldn’t be down in the teens.

The “look” doesn’t lie. At least it never has.

I walked out of The Big Yard that night thinking the loss to the Washington Redskins, and the way the game was lost, had cost Garrett his job, mainly because Mr. Jones, in his postgame comments, was being incredibly honest and realistic — for him, anyway — about the overall situation with his team.

Even more strange — for Jerry, anyway — is that a full holiday weekend away from the media didn’t mean a return to the usual sunshine pumping. Based on the comments heard on his radio show last week, Jones was still being honest and realistic.

Again, Jerry absolutely doesn’t want to fire Red J, and I will second that motion. I don’t want to see the guy fired.

But as we move into December, the coldest month of all for the Cowboys, there will be a morbid scene in Arlington tonight. With the Eagles in town, both sidelines will have dead coaches coaching.

There appears to be nothing Andy Reid can do to save his job in Philly. For Garrett, losing to the Eagles would make him a hopeless case here, but if something weird happened, starting with a Cowboys victory tonight, and then three victories in the final four games, I expect a reprieve would happen.

There is nothing, of course, to suggest the Cowboys will suddenly run off four victories in five December games. If not, where does Jerry go next for a head coach?

Meanwhile, I have also been noticing of late another kind of “look.”

This one is aimed at me, and it’s from media friends mainly, who seem to be saying: “Sean Payton? Really?”

Admittedly, I’ve pushed that name as a candidate to be the next head coach of the Cowboys. Admittedly, it’s a long shot.

But until the day comes when Payton signs a contract extension to return to the Saints, then I will guarantee — I said “guarantee” — that his interest level in the Cowboys is a living, breathing fact.

The only thing far-fetched about it is Jerry has never come close to paying a head coach the kind of salary Payton will fetch, which will be at least $7 million, and probably north of that.

But Jerry is also desperate again, the same as he was when he hired Parcells. A guy like Payton — let’s just say Sean is extremely confident — I don’t think he sees Jerry as a problem.

I also don’t think he sees Tony Romo as a problem. I also think he sees the opportunity of returning the Cowboys to prominence as the ultimate challenge, even more so than winning a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints, which meant Payton mastered one ultimate challenge.

That said, the bet will be that he’s back in New Orleans for next season. I’m not trying to hedge here, because the lure of the Saints should be obvious.

But until that officially happens, Payton is a factor here as the next head coach.

Don’t give me that “look.” Yes, Sean Payton. Really.

I also think Payton would have an interest in the University of Texas coaching job, should that come open. That long shot comes at much higher odds than the Cowboys’ long shot, but it’d be a mistake to totally dismiss it.

If Garrett goes, and Payton stays with the Saints, then .... Mike Holmgren?

That name will certainly receive heavy play, but I’m a bit hesitant to consider him as a prime Jerry target. Actually, Reid might be more interesting. That’s a respected name that might need a change of scenery, and going from the Eagles to the Cowboys would certainly be a changeof-scenery jolt.

Granted, to start December by shoveling dirt on Red J is rather cold-blooded, and it’s not too late for him to salvage his job. But we’ve now seen the “look” from Jerry, which historically means he’s prepared to do something he definitely doesn’t want to do.

And firing coaches, instead of firing himself, is what Jerry does frequently.

Sports, Pages 24 on 12/02/2012

Upcoming Events